A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Vanuatu, caused significant damage to buildings in the capital, Port Vila, including the one housing the United States embassy, AFP reported.

Social media videos showed collapsed concrete pillars and buckled windows at foreign missions, reportedly including those of the US, Britain, France and New Zealand.

Following the quake, a tsunami alert was issued for Vanuatu and nearby Pacific islands, including Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.